Student Success is dependent on the goals and abilities of each student.

There are many factors that contribute to student success. The following are three of the most important factors.
  • Persistence
  • Student learning and academic achievements
  • Personal development

Persistence is a specific attribute that a child may poses that can be used as a learning strategy or effect their classroom performance. Persistence in the classroom can consist of working through a difficult or grueling task. It can mean a student is reaching their level of proximal development independently. Persistence helps a child to better understand the material as well as work on stamina of a specific task. Motivation plays a huge role in persistence because a child needs to be able to self-motivate themselves through difficult work. A child who is persistent usually has a high motivational level to succeed in school.

Student learning is different for each individual student. There is usually a system of differentiation in each classroom in order for the teacher to effectively help everyone with multiple abilities in the class. Student learning is a system of each student reaching their own potential. In a classroom setting, some students may have higher academic grades or achievements than others; but student learning is broken down by an individual’s ability to succeed. When a student is independently reaching their zone of proximal development, they are succeeding. Differentiation is a method used to give individualized work to students based on their level of academic achievement. When a child can successfully complete their work to a satisfactory or proficient level, they are achieving student learning and on the path to obtaining success.

Personal development is essential to student success. The classroom is a place of growth for all students. Personal development can be categorized as, physical, emotional, social or intellectual. As children are developing physically; they are also learning to maintain wellness in a classroom environment. It is also important that children are able to learn how to control their emotions, in order to maintain self-control. In the classroom, children are also developing socially, as they meet new friends and are required to collaborate in pairs or groups. Lastly, intellectual development ties into student learning. It is the ability to gain knowledge and apply it to previous schemas and be able to effectively communicate and apply the knowledge in the future. All of these play a huge role in the personal development of each student and help each student strive for success.

How do teachers play a role in student success?

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The way a teacher conducts their classroom has a huge effect on student success. When a classroom is set up safely and efficiently, a student becomes comfortable in that environment. When a teacher has effective rules and classroom norms, it helps to develop an intellectual safe space for students to take risks. This is important because students should feel comfortable reaching out of their intellectual comfort zone, and trying new things. The way the classroom is conducted and the environment the teacher fosters, is what will determine if a child will work for their own success.

References:
Ormrod, J. (2014). Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Evertson, C. A., Emmer, E. T. (2013). Classroom management for elementary teachers (9th ed).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

http://www.indstate.edu/studentsuccess/pdf/Defining%20Student%20Success.pdf

http://www.wtamu.edu/webres/File/Journals/MCJ/Volume5-1/patterson.pdf